Cloth-plaiting machine



H. E. ELROD.

CLOTH PLAITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB: 2 3I 192]- 1,402,584, Patentgzd Jan. 3, 1922.

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. CLOTH PLAITING MACHINL APPUCATION FILED FEB. 23,1921. 1, };Q2,5841Patented Jan. 3, 1922.

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Be it known that 1,. HENRY E. ELRoD, acitizen of the United States, anda resident of the city of Dallas, county of Dallas, and

State ofTexa's, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in,Cloth-Plaiting Machines, of which the fol-lowing is a specification.

My invention relates to cloth-"plaitingma chines and more particularlyto machines adapted to plaiting cloth longitudinally thereofor thelength of theroll of cloth.

In carrying out my'invention, the plaited cloth is passedbetween tworubber rolls underpressure, thereby imparting to the plaits in the cloththe final creasing These-pressure rolls are driven at constant speed 1and act as feeding or pulling rolls for driv- 'ingthecloth through themachine, It is essential, therefore, that each. longitudinal or warpthread be under the sametension in yorder' that thecloth will be pulledthrough the machine evenly.

Therefore, one of the essential features of my improved machine is thatof. providing means [for conveying: the cloth through the 'machineevenly and with a uniform: longitudinal tension. In consequence of thisthe pla-iting of the cloth is accomplished uniformly and the plaits'aredisand parallel throughout its length.

' In carrying outmy invention, 1 provide av frame upon which are mountedin longitudinal alignment two guide boards through which the cloth'tobeplaited is adapted to pass. Connecting the two guide boards are amultiplicity. of supporting wires. which engage the cloth andpreliminarily fold the same, As the cloth leaves the second guide boardit is engaged by two sets of intermeshing discs which compact the foldsformed by the" guide boards. From these discs the cloth is conductedbetween the pressure rollers which in addition to feeding the cloththrough the machine, impart to the folds the final creasing operation,thereby forming permanent plaits in the cloth.

I The various features of my invention and the details of structure willbemade more apparent in the accompanying specification and drawingsinwhich Fig. .1 is a side elevatlon of a machine constructed-in accordancewlth my lnvention,

Fig. 2 is atop plan view ofthe structure illustrated in Fig. 1, v

Fig- .3 is a detailed sectional view taken nlin 3 9 s- I SpecificationoffLetter'sPaten't." Patgntd J jni 3; 1 Application filed February 23,192-1. Serial No. 447,032

Fig. 4 is a similar sectional view taken on 7 ,line of Fig. 2, somewhatenlarged;

Fig. 5 is ahsec'tion taken on: line ,5-'5

and A F 1g. 7 is a section taken online 7 7 of Fig. 2. r I ;he frame ofthe machine is provided with sultable support; 10, supporting mern- Ihers 11 and a base 12.. Disposed vertically of the frame and at one endthereof are a pa r of shafts 13 journaled upon the frame 10 an'dbase 12.The upper end of the shafts 13- projeet above the table for a purpose toI be more fully hereinafter described.

One of the shafts carries a pulley 14 which is engaged by'a belt 15 andthrough which connection is made with a motor 16 supported on the bas12. Theshafts 13 are each provided with a pinion gear 17 which intermeshthereby causing the'two shafts 13 to be rotated atthe same ratio-and inopposite directions. For supporting the shafts 13 intermediate theirlength,'f1 provide a bracket member 1-8 secured at one of its ends to avertically disposed support 19 and at its other end to one of the legs11.

Disposed transversely of thesupporting frame 10 and at one end thereofare a pair of supporting drums'QO journaled in suitable bearings 21.These drums '20 are adapted to support a roll of cloth 22 to be plaited.

Disposed immediately adjacent the sup porting drums20 is apairofcreasing rolls 2 and 3, the upper roll 2 being provided with V-shapedribs 4L, While the bottom roll 3 has formed therein correspondinglyshaped grooves 5.' Therolls are mounted in brackets 6, the upper portionof one of the brackets being hinged as indicated at 7 to permit theupper roll to be swung away from the lower roll to facilitate thethreading. of the cloth through these rolls. The remaining bracket isprovidedwltli any suit able type of fastening means 8 for locking theupper and :lower sections of the bracket I together. i

Also disposed transversely of the sup porting frame 10 and spaced apart,are guide boards A and B. The details of the guide board A: will bedescribed first and attention is directed particularly to Figs.

1 to 3. This guide board is formed in sections 23 and 24 hinged atoneend as indicated at 24' and supported 'in' a vertical position upon theframe 10 by suitable brackets 25 disposed at the edge of the supportingframe. The ends of the sections opposite from the hinge are providedwith a suitable locking means 25 for securing the sections in closedposition. Any suitable type of locking means may be provided, such'forinstance, as indicated at 8 for thecreasing rolls. The adjacent edges ofthe sections 23 and24 of the guide board A are shaped as illustratedclearly in Fig. 3 and when .in position, form a serpentine or irregularpassage-way or slot 26 between 'thetwo-through which thecloth 22 isadapted to pass.

The guideboard B comprises an upper and lower section 27 and 28respectively, hingedly connected at one end thereof asindicated at 28,and this guide boardB is supported on the frame by suitable brackets 29.'The other ends of the sections are provided with suitable lockingmeans29', such for instance, as illustrated in Fig. for the creasingrolls. An irregular or serpentine slot is formedby the sections of theguide board B by providing the adjacent edges with a multiplicity oftapering projections 30 and 3'l respectively' which interengage with oneanother as clearly illustrated" in Fig.4. The extent ofthisinter-engagement of the projections 30 and 31 is limited by the straightedges 32 of the sections 27 and 28 which abutto properly positiontheprojections 30 and 31 with respect to each other.

For supporting the cloth 22 between the guide boards A and B and forretaining the folds in the cloth there are provided a multiplicity'ofsupporting wires 33 and 34, the endsof these wires are fastened in theguide boards A and B, the set of wires 33 having their ends secured inthe top sections ofthe guide boards while theset 34 have their endsanchored in the lower seer tions of the uideboards. These wires aredisposed at tie points of the guide boards which form the crease orfolds in thecloth and the wire-swill therefore converge from the guideboard A toward the guide board B as will be clearly apparent.

Mounted adjacent the guide board B are two sets of disks 3'5and 36mounted on erated for sake of clearness.

transversely disposed shafts 37 and 38 respectively. These shafts arejournaled in the plaits. These discs act inthe nature of compactingdiscs for the folds so'as to condense the transverse width of the foldedfabric. 7

Mounted upon the upper end of the shafts 13 are rubber pressure rollers40 adapted to engage the cloth22 after it leaves-the compacting discs.One of the purposes of these rollers is to impart to the fabric thefinal creasing along the lines of the folds so that the fabric will bepermanently plaited. These rollers also act as feeding rollers and gripthe cloth between their adjacent faces and draw it through'the'parts ofthe ma- .chine. Asthe cloth emerges from between these rollers 40, ithas formed therein a multiplicity of longitudinally disposed pertweenthe rollers 40 may be regulated to rod 43 and a nut 44 by which thespace bevary the tension exerted by these rolls {on the .cloth.

The-method of operating my improved machine is as follows:

The motor 16 is drivenfrom source of current and through the medium ofthe belt 15 and] pulley 14 rotates'one of the shafts 13. By reason ofthe pinion gears 17 carriedby the shafts13, both shafts are rotated at auniform. speed but in opposite directions. Cloth 22 from the supply-rollis unwound by the rubber rolls 40 because of its engagement with theserotating rolls." As the cloth is unwound from the roll, it is in a fiator uncreased condition. It first passesbetween creasing rolls 2 and 3and has imparted to it a'preliminaryicreasing;

It then passes through the guide board and has imparted to it a-furtherfolding because of theshape of the serpentine slot.26.- The folds thusimparted to'the cloth areretained therein and somewhat compacted betweenthe guide board 'A and the guide board B,

owing to the converging sets of wires 33 and 34 stretched between guideboard A and guide board 13. As the cloth passes through guide board Bithas been made to assume more closely flconfined folded'condition. Afterpassing through the'guide board 13 the clothis engaged by the sets ofcompacting discs and 36 wliich'engage the cloth with their peripheriesat the lines upon which they are folded. The space between theintermeshing peripheries of the discs 35 and -36'is sufficient only toaccommodate the thickness of the cloth-and hence the folds alreadyimparted to the cloth are compacted to a comparatively small transverse.dimen sio'n. The cloth thus folded is thendrawn between the rolls 40and finally creased, the

any suitable amount of pressure of the rolls being governed by theadjustment of the clamping rod'eii.

By'providing the sets of wires between the guide boards A and B thecloth is thereby prevented from sagging and the longitudinal' tensionexerted thereon by the rollers 40 isunifcrm throughout the warp threadsof the cloth. This uniform pressure and the absence of sagging of thecloth insures a uniformity of the'plaits and the efficiency ofthe'machine. 7

Furthermore, the distance between the guide boards A and B can thereforebe made sufiicient so that the increase in the acuteness of the angle ofthe folds may not be caused too'abruptly, but that these folds will beformed easily and naturally by reason of the engagement of thecloth withthe convergin supporting wires.

l3y reason of the hinged connections be tween the upper and lowersections of the creasing and folding elements the threading of the cloththrough the machine is facilitated, it being only necessary to swing theupper sections of the folding elements away from the lower section toenable the cloth to be passed through these elements.

Various modifications of the structure illustrated may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and Iparticularly reserve this right.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a cloth-plaiting machine, a pair of guide boards for preliminarilyfolding the cloth to be plaited, supporting wires extending from oneguide board to the other and engaging the cloth along the lines of fold,compacting discs engaging said cloth in the lines of fold for compactingthe folds thus formed in the cloth and means for drawing the cloththrough the machine and for com-' pressing the folds of the cloth.

2. In a plaiting machine of theclass described a pair of spaced guideboards for preliminarily folding the material to be plaited, supportingwires connecting said guide boards and engaging the material to beplaited along its folds, said guide boards and wires causing theacuteness of the angle of thefolds to gradually increase, revolublecompacting means engaging said material along the lines of fold forcompacting the folds thus formed and means for compressing said folds toform permanent plaits, said means being adapted to draw the material tobe plaited through the machine.

3. In a plaiting machine of the class described a pair of preliminarycreasing rollers, a pair of guide boards for preliminarily folding thematerial to be plaited, material supporting means connecting said guideboards, rotary compacting means engaging the lines of fold in thematerial and compacting the folds thus formedand rotary compressingmeans for compressing the folds to formperm'anent pla ts in thematerial, said creasing rollers, guide boards and I compacting meansbeing hingedly connected to facilitate the threadin of the material tobe planted throughthe machine. 7

d. in a plaiting machine, rotary means for preliminarily creasing thematerial to be plaited, a pair of spaced guide boards for imparting tothe material to be plaited' a preliminary fold of gradually increasingacuteness of angle, means disposed between said guide boards forsupportnig the material to be plaited along its lines of fold, rotaryintermeshing compacting; discs engaging the material to be plaited atits lines of fold for compacting the folds thus formed and rotarycompressing rollers for compress ing the folds to form permanent plaitsin the material, said rollers alsoactmg to draw the cloth through I themachine.

5. A machine of the class described com-V prising apair of guide boards,said guide boards being provided with means for imparting a preliminaryfold to the cloth to be parting preliminary folds to the cloth, the

passage way in one of said guide boards forming the folds in said clothwith a more acute angle, supporting wires extending along the points offold between said guide boards, two sets of compacting discs forcompacting the folds thus formed in the cloth, and means for drawing thecloth through the machine and for finally compressing the folds, to formpermanent plaits in the cloth.

7 A plaiting machine of the class described comprising a supportingframe, a pair of freely rotatable drums for supporting a roll of clothto be plaited, means for preliminarily creasing the cloth, a .pair ofspaced guide boards, each guide board being formed in two sections, theadjacent edge of each section being shaped to pro-, vide an irregularslotwhen the sections are together, the slot formed in one of theseguide boards being composed of acute angles while the slot of the otherguide board is formed of obtuse angles, the slots in said guide boardscausing the cloth to be preliminarily folded, the folds increasing inpitch between the two guide boards, supporting wlres extending from oneguide board to the other and along the lines of fold, two

sets of intermeshing compacting discs for compacting the folds thusformed in the cloth, a pair of constantly driven rubber rollers, meansfor adjusting said rolls, said rollers being adapted to draw the cloththrough the machine and to compress the folds of the cloth.

8. A plaiting machine of the class described comprising a frame providedwith a base, a motor mounted on said base, a pair of vertically disposedintermeshing shafts at one end of said frame, one end of each spacedguide boards, each guide board being formed in two sections, theadjacent edge of each section being shaped to provide an 1rregular slotwhen the sections are together, the slot formed in one of these guideboards being composed of acute angles while the slot of the other guideboard is formed of obtuse angles, the slots in said guide boards causingthe cloth to be preliminarily folded, the folds increasing in pitchbetween the two guide boards, supporting wlres extending from one guideboard to the other and along the lines of' fold, two sets ofintermeshing compacting discs for compacting the folds thus formed inthe cloth, a pair of rubber rollers mounted on said Vertically disposedshafts, said rollers being adapted to draw the cloth through the machineand for compressing the folds of said cloth to form permanent plaitstherein.

. HENRY E. ELROD.

